Revelations in Arts Course
Revelations
- Date/time:
- 22 September 2010 - 29 June 2011
Tuesdays 10.45am - 12.45pm - Venue:
- 1 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8DJ
- Lecturer:
- Margaret Knight
- Fees:
- Full course (3 terms, 15 lectures) £450.00
One term (5 lectures) £150.00
The Latin word revelation means 'unveiling' and specifically the unveiling of truths concerning destiny and the intentions of the gods. Man has sought revelation since the earliest times and has used an infinite number of ways to achieve it including augury, astrology, starvation and drug use.
In this fascinating and far-reaching series of lectures, we'll study the nature of revelation in the ancient and modern worlds and the look at the arts it has inspired.
Course outline
Term 1: Revelation through nature
22 Sep 2010 Shamanism
The Shaman, an individual understood to have a special understanding of the natural world existed and continues to exist in tribal cultures. Dismissed by the west as 'witch doctors' or 'medicine men', the shamans are actually a vital link between the people and the world in which they lived.
06 Oct 2010 Pre Columbian America I
The highly evolved methods of predicting the future employed by the Maya, the Aztecs and the Inca involved augury (the reading of signs), shamanism, astrology and the use of mind-altering drugs.
27 Oct 2010 Pre Columbian America II
There were a variety of cultures in North America before the arrival of the Europeans. Some lived in settled communities of agriculturalists and craftspeople, some were nomadic hunters. Their methods of divination ranged from the complex rituals of the settled peoples to the shamanism of the tribal nomads.
17 Nov 2010 Celts and Druids
The Celtic peoples committed none of their sacred practices to writing. But the Greeks and the Romans wrote extensively about the 'Oak Wisdom' of the Druids, their knowledge of astronomy, of natural law and the ways in which they could be interpreted to reveal the future.
24 Nov 2010 The Astrologers
In the ancient world astronomy and astrology were one and the same. The movement of the planets and stars were understood to have a profound influence on the lives of individuals and nations. Babylonian astrology became the foundation on which divinatory methods were based until the late Middle Ages.
Term 2: Revealing mysteries
19 Jan 2011 The Sibyls
Sibylla was the name given by the Greeks and the Romans to the female prophets believed to be possessed by Apollo. Oracles, collections of Sibyline prophecies were kept at Athens and Rome, and the latter were consulted as late as the 4th century AD for advice on future actions and 'crisis management'.
26 Jan 2011 Prophets
The Old Testament contains a number of Books of Prophesy made at different times and in different parts of the ancient Holy Land. Each is understood to be the authentic word of God transmitted by an individual who received it in dream or vision.
16 Feb 2011 Teachers
The very practical revelations of the great teachers, Zoroaster, the Buddha, Christ and Muhammad.
02 Mar 2011 The Christian Mystics
None of the Christian Mystics were concerned with predictive revelation; they were seeking ways to achieve a true unity with God and Christ. Their deeply emotional works are both personal accounts of revelation and guidance for others.
16 Mar 2011 The Book of Revelation
Written at some point in the late 60s AD, the Book of Revelation became a major source of iconography in the Middle Ages. Revelation is an apocalypse, a detailed vision of the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ contains material drawn from a number of ancient and familiar sources.
Term 3: Revelations and the modern world
04 May 2011 The Magicians
As late as the 16th century professional astrologers and alchemists were employed at a number of European courts. Many, like Dr Dee who worked for Elizabeth I, were trusted for their predictions and their advice on future actions.
18 May 2011 Medium and the parlour games
The 19th century saw a fashion for seances and mediums who claimed to be able to cross between the material and spirit worlds. There was also a revival of ancient predictive practices like the Tarot and the interpretation of runes that have remained as a part of popular culture.
25 May 2011 Gorgeous frauds?
Towards the end of the 19th century a number of occult societies formed in Europe. Most claimed to base their ideas and rituals on ancient sources, some attracted a very distinguished following and some of their leaders achieved extraordinary notoriety.
08 June 2011 The doors of perception
The mind-altering properties of certain plants have been known and used for millennia. By the middle of the last century there were a number of 'drug prophets' who believed they had received profound revelations.
29 June 2011 Prophets of the modern world
In an age in which it's assumed we have grown more sceptical, there are a surprising number of prophets with large followings of successful and even famous people. What are these prophets offering, and what is the nature of their revelations?